I miss blogging.
I miss having the time to pen down my thoughts and compile a list of memories – both visually and in copy.
For now, here’s my week in pictures xx
Fell sick
Got well and made a new friend
Packed my necklaces
Spun around in our test drive.. Poor Zoee, mad as hell with me
And survived mother Monday
How was your week? :)
Shine on, fighter
Just like that, the new year has started.
2012 has been kind and I am so thankful. The people that matter are still by my side, healthy and happy. I got to explore multiple cities, try lots of delicious food and meet up with family members all over the world.
I’m blessed. And no matter how tough the going gets, I never forget that.
x
KLKB stands for kalang kabok which is Singlish/Malay for confusion and chaos. It is also the name we coined for our group seven years ago.. When we were young and blur, reckless and hungry to see the world.
Back in the day when Kath, Sammy and I worked at Ben&Jerry’s
Other than Kath’s 21st, we never celebrated each other’s birthday.. Mainly cos I was overseas for four years, and Glenn another two years.. Somehow our summer/winter vacations never occurred during any of our birthdays.
Kath’s 21st at Essential Brew (which has since closed down) at Holland Village
So, it was really nice when Glenn agreed to have dinner with us on his actual birthday! AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! Actually, he didn’t mention it was his birthday but Kath remembered! Same same but different ;)
We met up at LeVeL33 and I was the earliest.. Cos I’m a slacker like that (LOL NO!!!!!!)
Brew house kettles that greet you at the entrance
Waiting area
Gorgeous view from the 33rd floor
Right side
Can you see the lit-up F1 track!!!!!!!! Love it!!!
After waiting for eons, Kath and Glenn arrived together! Sammy was busy with his reservist and arrived later. He’s a nation-saving hero! Don’t believe me?
Tadah! Sammy featured in this year’s NDP video.. Psst, in case you’re wondering, he’s in audit
Dale and Chip! I’m wearing Glenn’s poseur lens-less frames
The boys
Drinks for four
Beer for the boys, wine for me and PEPPERMINT TEA FOR KATH *whut?!*
Glenn pissed that Sammy wasn’t divulging details about his love life
Another (awful) pic of Kath and I
We weren’t very hungry but we love food..
(From L-R): jumbo prawns on soba, meat platter, beef chunks, chicken wings, crispy whitebait and a side of mac and cheese
The staff at LeVeL 33 were really nice. Since I was early, I told them that we wanted to pre-order dessert for our birthday boy. And they not only included a personalised chocolate powered message, they threw in a glass of complimentary red for Glenn!
Sticky date pudding
Happy Birthday!!!!!!!
Here’s a photo of us four
Pudgier but JUST AS GORGEOUS!
Truly, I have the bestest friends. Thank you Jesus for looking after me :)
And let’s end off with a random picture of me at dinner last Monday.. And an entry I typed on my Facebook while at dinner,
The last time I was here, they had shark’s fin on their menus. This time, I saw mock shark’s fin instead! So I had to ask the waitress if they had taken it off their menus. She said, “Oh! We have a separate menu for shark’s fin. You know lah, nowadays so much news about fins blah blah”. Well, it’s one step closer, and I’m also glad that the “I’m FINished” campaign is still stuck in the minds of people :)
At Yan Ting, St Regis
LeVeL33
8 Marina Boulevard
MBFC Tower 1
Singapore 018981
Yan Ting
St Regis Singapore
29 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247911
Met my GFFs for dinner at Somerset 313 two nights back. GFFs stand for “gymanista”, “fashionista” and “foodienista”. No points for guessing which one I am. Lol! It’s been awhile since I had a girly night out. We ate, went diamond ring hunting (!!) and of course sweeped Forver 21. We also talked about boys, gossiped and giggled ;)
Yingtian, Mel and I – blur picture that the staff at Honeymoon Dessert took for us
YT and Mel’s dessert – Mango sago and pomelo with mini mochis and icecream (yum?!)
Remember how I said we went to look at diamond rings? While I don’t know much about diamonds (there’s no need to cos I have no money), I do know pretty from ugly and diamonds are gorgeous!! We were at the store and the guy was really patient with us, explaining the various cuts and stuff to us. When we were leaving, the friendly sales guy insisted we take a brochure with us.
Look, even if I took the brochure, I wouldn’t be able to afford a ring.. Plus someone else would be better off with it (being environmentally-friendly here) so I kept refusing. But he was persistent so fine! I’ll take it! And I’ll rip it apart!
Beautiful bling
“Wow! This is huge!”
“How is this one?”
This size is just right! Think I’ll be single forever lol!
Beautiful Ying Tian, don’t let her cool-as-a-cucumber demeanour fool you! She’s one hell of a shopper!
YT so fair, slim and tall. Any mother would approve ;)
Mel in her sexy peekaboo dress. If only I were taller, I would totally stare down on her bxxbies hur hur
Got home and I had two parcels waiting for me! That’s the thing about online shopping. You can purchase stuff and act totally surprised when they arrive at your doorstep. Christmas! It’s Christmas!
Well, it really did feel like Christmas :) The kind folks at Johnnie Walker sent me 10 (yes, 5 for each night! Was only expecting a pair) passes to this year’s Circuit Lounge party. They have the absolute best F1 parties and I can’t wait to attend it! Even more so because it’s at the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay. How quaint! It’ll also be my first time in the dome ;)
Such exquisite and well thought out invites!
Each invite is a lanyard in a solid black box
It’s really exclusive! You have to register your unique ID number (on the lanyard) before the party
My second parcel was from BeautyJoint.com. They’re really cheap – think drugstore cheap – and AWESOME!
(L-R): NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (Sparkle Nude), NYX Tinted Lip Spa (Spirit), e.l.f. Essential Duo Eye Shadow Cream (Berry Mix), NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream (Addis Ababa)
I love everything!! Everything! Gonna get more stuff soon :)
Horrible photo of Joey and I (and Daniel Henney).. But this is the only shot (for now) of me in my hot pink matte lip cream. LOVE IT!
Till the next post, TGIF bitches!
My drawing of Little My from Moomin. It was a really “exciting” meeting! :s
I’m broke. There. I said it.
Always believed that if I can’t confess to something, I’m definitely in denial.
Bank account-wise, I’m in a terrible state. I’m not living on credit (hell, I won’t let that happen), but I’m broke. Considering how I’ve been working for almost 3 years, I’m PATHETIC.
So I sat down and thought to myself, “WHAT AM I SPENDING MY MONEY ON?”. You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve come up with a list of items. Perhaps, you’ll be similar to me and you’ll think, “hell, I better do something about it before I end up like Joy”.
1. FOOD
I spend SO MUCH on food it’s not even funny. I love eating. And to make matters worse, I love eating a variety of food. I can’t just order a burger at dinner. I have to order fries, wings, nuggets etc. on the side. I can’t just order a plate of fried rice. I have to order meat, vegetable, appetizers etc. I can easily order for four when it’s just the two of us. I’m a glutton and I won’t rebut that.
Food also includes morning coffee, after-dinner tea, snacks for work and of course alcohol. All these don’t seem like a lot when you buy them separately but when you put them together, geez, they add up to quite a bit. And then I spend yet another lump on the gym because I can’t just eat and not feel horrible about myself. WHAT A SILLY VICIOUS CYCLE! This brings me to my second point.
2. Gym
I pay about $150 for my Fitness First membership. Why? Because my company isn’t affiliated to Fitness First so I pay the full monthly fee. I could have signed up with other gyms that are much cheaper. But! There’s a Fitness First right down the road from where I work at, there’s also one that’s an MRT stop away from where I stay and they also have a nice big and quiet branch at Fusionopolis. They also have good classes and convenience is really important to me. I sometimes run during lunch (because evenings are meant for relaxing and pigging out) and it helps to make me feel less guilty so I guess this is the only item that I won’t be able to do much about.
3. Holidays
It’s a known fact that I love travelling. I want to travel the world. I REALLY want to travel the world. The Earth is amazing, why coop up at home when there’s so much to explore! I do my best to sneak in a holiday (any holiday!) whenever I can.
Now, this is where the problem comes in. Most of the time, I only have time for a short getaway so I choose places like Bangkok, Krabi, Bali etc. It’s easy to think that you save more by going to neighbouring countries because there are budget airlines that get you there, the Singapore dollar’s strong blah blah. But no!! If you think about it, a “quick” vacation can easily cost you $1,000!
Let’s take a 4D3N trip to Bali for example. Give and take, this is how the breakdown will be like:
Wow that’s already $1,170. Of course, you can share a room with your friend but my point is, these trips aren’t cheap! Save up and go on a really big holiday (if you can) :D
4. Online shopping
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been stressed/frustrated at work and then I type asos into my google search bar. Free shipping, constant sale items. HOW NOT TO BUY! It would be foolish not to buy! Plus, there are now also lots of other local blog shops that have made payments so much easier. No more bank transfer or meetup blah blah. Just use paypal! Or your credit card. A dress costs about $30. That seems decent! BUY 3 DRESSES! $90! Bye bye money..
Moral of the story? Tahan. Or practice better self-control. Have a buddy. Someone that can help keep you in check. Confess everytime you make an online purchase. Remember, if you’re hiding your buys, you’re doing it all wrong. You’re in trouble! Save it and splurge on a nice bag (ok, I did not just say that *slaps mouth).
And oh yes! Bellabox! Glamabox! All these beautiful boxes priced at super reasonable prices, giving you the illusion that you get more bang for your buck. The concept is marvellous. But it costs money (not lots but still)! I’m not sure about the rest, but I now have a lot of sample bottles at home. Untouched. I have since cancelled my subscription. I’m fuss-free. Good ol’ Garnier works fine for me.
5. Movies, Plays, Concerts
What is there to do in Singapore? Eat. Shop. Watch movies! We’re lucky that we’re a country that’s bursting with local talent. Singers, plays and shows also love to come by Singapore because we’re an awesome country! Bad, bad, bad for me. I love going to live concerts, plays etc. So how? Spend money again. Le sigh.
♦♦♦
There, I’ve told the world where I spend most of my money on. I can’t stop what I enjoy doing but I can sure as hell strive to be a better saver!
That is all.
Thank you for reading and I hope you save tons of money too!
HUAT AH!
Picture of my cute doggie, Seven, to end this post
What a weekend! It felt like I had no break and when I did last night, I couldn’t sleep, boo :( Perhaps, it was because I had just finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey and I was feeling rather lost with a gaping hole of sadness in me (so drama).
As usual, I went to church on Saturday, did worship and then chiong-ed from church to National Dental Centre. Why? Because I forgot to tell my parents that I needed the car so dear dad took it with him to his conference. Such a waste of time and money.. But more about the state of my poverty next time.
Went for the soft launch of Nook, a DIY pancake and all-day breakfast cafĂ©Â at Lorong Kilat. It’s a love project by Dawn, Shawn and their partner so naturally I felt really happy for them. I’ve always wanted to open my own cafĂ©Â but my realistic mind tells me that it’s way easier than it sounds, so kudos to them for taking the plunge!
Don’t miss the sign!
House of Pancakes
Canapés
Little eggs walking around the wall
The cashier
Menu
Our friends took awhile to arrive so I had tons of canapĂ©s and decided to keep myself occupied with… *giggle*
Christian Grey!
Btw, am I the only nutcase to think that he’s really hot? Like I read the book and can’t help but feel that E L James is one heck of a writer. She’s like the written/book version of Shonda Rhimes. Maybe I’m reading too much into the book, but to me, it depicts the inner desires of every girl, her insecurities blah blah.
Ok, digress much. I will blog about Fifty Shades once I’m done with the other two books. Mr Postman, fasterly pls! Oh ya, I think Tom Hardy makes a good Christian Grey. Lol! *FOCUS JOY FOCUS*
After Nook, I headed to my BFF&E&E&E&E&E&&E&E’s Muay Thai fight at SMU. Her fight was the main fight of the evening and I’ve seen Lena train since our Brisbane days when we were in Uni and seeing how far she’s come, I can’t help but feel so immensely proud of her! I still remember when she got back from Gladstone and she lifted up her singlet.. Holy macaroni! A friggin huge ostrich egg-like bruise!!
Muay Thai’s really tiring, I don’t know how Lena has the time to work and train at the same time. Five rounds of full-on cardio, WHILE getting punched left right centre. I couldn’t do it. I’d just take out my pistol and shoot my opponent. Lol.
Loving girlfriend giving her a massage pre-fight
This is called shadow boxing right?
Y U so skinny?
Amateur fight before Lena’s match
Amateur and padded but still soo scary!
By this point, I remember repeatedly telling myself that “my son will never take this as a sport! I will never allow it”
Men’s pro fight right before Lena’s
The guy from Lena’s gym (BXG) won!! Whee!!!
BFF having a moment
Ok, at this point, please note the difference in our behaviours. Of course, I have a super serious side to me, but isn’t this just hilarious!!!
Hoot hor yi si! It’s a fight, were you expecting anything less?
I cannot remember the last time I screamed so much. I was wearing such an elegant dress but all that shouting made me feel like an awful drag queen. Ah, who cares, for the BFF! If I can carry such a loud banner, I can scream all I want.
Lena and her Thai coach, also a Joy ;)
Into the ring, champ!
Doing the Wai Khru pre-fight
Saying a prayer
Kick, kick, kick!
Break
Well, I really expected a draw but no, Lena’s opponent won. Not important, forever a champion in my eyes. She sucker-punched and thunder-kicked her opponent till she (the opponent) fell 2-3x so the results were a bit disappointing and unexpected..
Please make way, my champion’s in the house! xoxo, her publicist and BFF
Celebrated mum’s birthday at Canton-i last night. Her birthday’s on Tuesday but we wanted something that family could all gather together for so we did it earlier. Plus, she can have some romantic time with dad tomorrow!
My beautiful parents
J+J all grown up!
MUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥
Family minus Nana in Sydney
Mum’s born in the year of the Pig and she adores them so imagine her reaction to these cute little piggy red bean buns
We were singing her birthday song super loudly and all she did was take photos of the pigs
Still singing, still snapping. See my popo’s face, lol!
Mind you, we are still singing at the top of our lungs when dad steps in to.. take photos too!! Whut!?
Finally she calms down and makes a wish. Clearly still very tickled by the pigs
Present time! Dad had already got her a Rolex earlier.. But of course I couldn’t afford a Prada on my own. So I shared this gift with Dad. Thank goodness for fathers.
So pretty!
Chanel from the boy
Happy with her cosmetics!
Really awkward photo haha but we bumped into Priscelia after dinner. Do you like her smile? It’s an Aloha smile ;)
Priscelia and Jaz
What a ton of photos! I hope you enjoyed this entry xx
Went to De Burg at Bukit Merah for dinner last night with my homies. It’s a really cool coffee shop.. One of those that I’ll probably go back again just cos it’s so chillax and quiet (except for that buzzing TV). The burgers were really awesome but we were too hungry we forgot to take any photos. So here we are, looking like serious alkies..
Ice cold beer to kick off the night
Long arms Jase
Beer and cider.. This wasn’t all that we had *hick*
Best photo of the night. He wasn’t even photo bombing LOL!
Where’s the big red pineapple?
Been really busy with stuff.. Haven’t had time to blog. Or rather, haven’t had any inspiration.
To fill the void, here are some really random photos…
Top – Bangkok
Pants – Bangkok
Faux snake skin heels – G2000
Bag – Marc by Marc Jacobs
Floral dress – F21
Nude fish scale heels – Charles and Keith
Brown leather bag – Prada
Magenta dress – somewhere in Aus
Denim jacket – somewhere in Aus
Black ceramic ring – Bvlgari
Brown leather bag – Prada
Heels – Gripz (I fell in them before!)
Side profile. Please excuse the really lame slippers.
Really cheap and yummy durian that Jake bought
It has arrived
Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil
Alla fine
Last Sunday, a dear ex-colleague and neighbour of mine got married at Rasa Sentosa. Though I’ll miss having her around the neighbourhood, I’m so happy for her! It was a really nice catch-up with old friends too :)
Partners in crime
The boy has grown up
DK letting me be taller for once
The table
The ex RWS-ers. Only one left!
With the beautiful bride and lucky groom ;)
Lots of love to Janelle and Leon :) My best wishes!
Ethan all set
Ella just done with class
My grumpy and chirpy piano kids
Floral bustier dress – from Mel ♥
Black Carla heels – Ferragamo
Sunday lunch with the family
Pink singlet – adidas
Denim shorts – Cotton On
Emerald wedges – Topshop
Hilarious/embarrassing notice at the club
Pink and ready for bed
Clearly very happy that Monday’s over
Just me and my Pocari on a sweltering arvo
What a beautiful face
Trekking illegal ground to get some prima paste for our colleague from HK
Pit stop – free aircon at Orchid Hotel (LOL)
Over the weekend, the lovely Aku from Helsinki, popped by Singapore before her summer vacation around Asia. Adri and I were lucky enough to catch her for dinner and drinks. While I’m not proud of this, I’m still pretty much a tourist in my own country so it was awesome that we had Adri with us. She’s a walking encyclopedia on Singapore ;)
We first met Aku at her hostel – Tree In Lodge. I must say I’m pretty impressed with this place as in my head, hostels/backpackers are always rather dodgy, dingy and dirty. I think Aku paid about $50+ for two nights – what a steal! I really like that this hostel’s green-focused too.
It’s also Aku’s 2nd stay at the hostel – says alot! Do check out more pics of their bunk beds etc. here
Aku and Adri sharing a tender moment
The entrance cum reception area
Info brochures, shelves and tables for guests so use their lappies. Wifi is free and iPads are available for rental at $20/day
Love all the little trivia on the environment and how we can do our part
♥ Aku, me, Adri ♥
This place is pretty awesome, they really look after their guests. Even EZ-links are provided!
Like typical Singaporeans, we took a bus (of course with Adri’s help!) to JB Ah Meng at Geylang for dinner. Seriously ghetto-like and seriously good food. I can’t wait to go back and have a another go!
Don’t be fooled by the facade of JB Ah Meng, the street behind is FULL of people!
Everything’s better with some alcohol
ABSOLUTELY heavenly white pepper crab, man.. *slurp*
And then my fingers got dirty from all that crab.. Top to bottom: salted egg yolk prawn, fried bee hoon, tofu
My photos don’t do any justice to the food. They were reallyy good…
So cute!
My skinnylatte and I
The obligatory tourist cum restaurant signboard shot
Remember, it’s JB Ah Meng! Geylang Lorong 23, good luck finding it!
JB Ah Meng
New Good Place Eating House
5pm to 3am daily
2 Geylang Lor 23 (Geylang Road side)
Tel: 67412418
After dinner, we headed to Haji Lane for a street party. A street party! The things we do to make our friends from overseas feel welcome lol ;)
Aku doing a happy dance
The friendly musicians at Piedra Negra
Beautiful lit and designed facade
Portrait
Group shot! x
Random WRX bum
Street party at Going Om – felt like a watered down rave party
Hmm..
What a coincidence that twitter pal, Kinny (9VSKA) from Sydney, was also in Singapore!
Ah, planes.. What a stupendous invention! Amazing amazing amazing.
After participating in my first ever run, I’ve come to realise why people take part in marathons/runs. The feeling of completing what you set your mind to do is pretty exhilarating.
I would say I’m a rather determined person, especially when I want to get something done. In uni, I would study till I ended up crying, with notes beside my pillow etc. Simply because I had to prove everyone wrong about my grades in secondary school/poly. Of course I had lots of fun too.. But point is, seeing results generated from sheer hard work is ecstasy.
I took part in the inaugural Pocari Sweat run (5km) last Sunday together with Yasi. It was at Gardens by the Bay and the route went past the Marina Bay Sands as well as the Marina Barrage (which was a killer btw, some serious upslope). Flag off was at 7am so I was up by 5:30am.. Never been up so early in a loooong time!
Start line
I ♥ Pocari. I’ve loved them for the longest time. It’s seriously the best sports drink around. I hate carbonated stuff so Pocari really hits the spot for me. Did you know that Pocari is developed based on years of scientific research? The composition of the drink is such that it is made very similar to our body fluid. This is why our bodies process and absorb Pocari much faster than any other isotonic drink – hence replenishing any loss of body fluid much more efficiently.
I also like that Pocari doesn’t contain any artificial sweetening agent. If I’m not wrong, the mild sweetness from the drink comes from sugar cane. Try some before you hit the gym. It really does make a difference. To be honest, I drink Pocari whenever and wherever haha!
P.S. Pocari’s really good for hangovers and headaches too ;)
Our ‘special’ numbers. I got #69 and Yasi got #23
Before our run
5km completed! How should I pose with my first ever sports medal?!
Yay! Timing’s definitely better than my previous run. Will keep y’all posted once I get the official timing :)
With the lovely Jen. She spotted that I was bleeding from my shin after my run.. Must’ve scraped a plant or something. It was really no biggie but she insisted that I get help from the medics haha. What a star!
On stage to answer a simple question. It was really funny.. When I went on stage, the Power98FM DJ, JK, asked why I smelled so good even after my run (no perfume ah!), and of course I was stunned for a bit. Who says that?! I nonchalantly replied, “it’s my Pocari Sweat” *slap me already* hahahhaa!!
My Pocari hamper! Woohooo!! Carried it back to the carpark till my arms ached.
Brekky – prawn mee at Tiong Bahru Market
Now I wonder, will I ever try a 10km run? I used to only be able to run 2-3km (embarrassing max) but now that I’ve done 5km, it’s truly mind over matter :)
Continuing from my last post, we ended the interns last day with a mini picnic in the pantry
The boys presenting what they’ve learnt during their 10 week internship
Lots of good food from The Korea Food Company
We also had a birthday celebration
And a lap dance
Melvin with his bag of goodies for everyone in the office! How thoughtful :)
Mine – a customised tote bag, a ‘virgin’ notebook and a very sweet long note
CLEARLY, no eye for detail. Chopsticks and trottles?! Trotters yo!
The girls
The interns – Giraffe and Harry (Potter)
Even though you thought I’d be a bitch (you a**hole), I’ll miss you, skinny! Be good!! Get a girl/guy soon!
With that, it’s time for me to get back to work…
Melvin. That’s his name. I keep calling him The Intern but he has a name. It’s just like how he keeps calling me Fatty/Trotters and yes, I too, have a name.
It’s his last day today and as usual, I’m horrible with goodbyes. To celebrate his last day and the great work that he’s done for me, I decided a hearty meal for the skinny twig would do the job.
He’s 1.82m and 55kg. For fear of child abuse, I would totally feed my son senseless if he’s ever in that state..
P.S. All the photos from this entry are from Melvin’s phone
Lunch at Imperial Treasure – I didn’t want this photo to be uploaded but Melvin insisted, so I blurred my entire self. Smart.
Melvin insisted that I had to use alliterations for all the food photos I uploaded onto instagram and when I’m sad, I order tons – so here goes!
#1 Humsup Hargow (S$5)
#2 Sexy Salt and Pepper Silverfish (S$8)
#3 Tamade Tantart (S$3.30)
#4 XXX XO Carrot Cake (S$10)
#5 Bitchy Beancurd (S$18)
#6 Horny Horfun (S$23)
And then the mandatory cam-whoring shots
Poke my eye
All my bling
So yummy!
Perfect dining etiquette – chopstick moustache
“Wah, who is that fat chio aunty!!”, exclaimed the Chinese Lit scholar from Dalian, China
Love me?
Me and my Monchhichi
With Debbie and Melvin
Such camwhores! Melvin was like “come girls” and I’m ashamed to say that I immediately slid onto his desk and posed.
Trying to be like the giraffe
With my imaginary friend, Boxella the electrical box
Picnic in the office later, more photos coming your way!
I’ve been really busy lately so the last thing I was expecting was a surprise visit from my sister!
Sneaky bugger! I’ve been asking if she’ll be coming back to Singapore for her winter break and she’s been adamant with her NO NO NOs… Stupid liar!! I even cut her out for dinner because I missed her!! See here
Oh whatever, the good news is that she’s back! She sprung a surprise on the entire family and even came back with my favourite T2 Turkish Apple tea *tears*
Excuse the lousy quality photos – I hate you BB9900. I HATE YOU *cries*
Especially refreshing when served with ice
Nana and I
Who’s older? I am :)
